


Parade, Pie, & Turkey, Oh My!

by lady_meatball



Series: Thanksgiving in Boston [6]
Category: American Actor RPF, Chris Evans (Actor) RPF
Genre: Domestic!Evans, F/M, Fluff, Gen, K C & the Sunshine Band, K&C, Thanksgiving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 18:19:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8763913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_meatball/pseuds/lady_meatball
Summary: Thanksgiving Day dawns which leads to the usual traditions of watching the parade, putting up Christmas decorations, and eating too much. Chris and Katie finish reading The Hobbit to his nephews.
Thanks to @daisyjm75 and @mumbles411 for helping with brainstorming!





	

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings- None. It's all fluffy.

  * ## [Parade, Pie & Turkey, Oh My!](https://lady-meatball.tumblr.com/post/154045785705/parade-pie-turkey-oh-my)

  


Visual inspo board [**HERE**](https://lady-meatball.tumblr.com/post/154043218835/via-parade-pie-turkey-oh-my-polyvore)

[Originally posted by princesconsuela](https://tmblr.co/ZSqkxx2F40JQH)

 

“Can we read more? Pwease, Kitty?”

Sitting at the dining table, Ethan and Miles pleaded, their little faces turned to pin me to my chair with big ‘Puss in Boots’ eyes, and pouting bottom lips. Unable to fight my smile, I grinned into my ice water as I lifted it for a drink.

“Unca Chris! COME ON!!! I wanna know what happens to Bilbo! Did he make out of the mountain?” Ethan shouted.

“Pwease Unca Chris!” Miles begged, holding his hands clutched in front of his chest; his face was scrunched up comically, garnering soft snickers from the adults around the table.

Chris turned, facing me with a shit eating grin, his eyes sparkling.

“Well…what do ya say, babe? You up for a couple of more chapters before bed?” He asked.

Thinking about how much we could cover in the next few hours, I smiled, nodding.

“I think we can manage that…we haven’t even reached the best part of the book yet!” I told the boys. “You thought Bilbo’s encounter with Gollum was something…just wait till we get to the dragon!”

* * *

“’ _…My wings…a hurricane! And my breath…DEATH!’_ ” Chris read, putting his acting skills to good use while waving his arms about to get more and more into character. The two boys laid in front of us, chins resting on their hands propped in front of them on their stomachs; their eyes were large as saucers, with excited grins on their little faces while they watched their uncle perform just for them.

‘ _He’s going to be such an amazing Daddy…he’s going to read to OUR babies like this…_ ’ I thought on a dreamy sigh, watching Chris look up from the screen of my Kindle to make faces to punctuate what he was telling his nephews, expressing the power and grandeur of Smaug along with the terror and worry of Bilbo as the dragon hunted his tiny prey in the treasure horde in my favorite chapter of the story; he looked over at me briefly, glancing in my direction in the low light of the fort, doing a double take when he realized I was watching him with hungry eyes.

Setting the Kindle on the cushion between us, Chris hit the bookmark while telling Ethan and Miles, “Alright, guys…it’s well past bed time…”

“Unca Chris!!”

“Come on! It’s just gettin’ good, Uncle Chris!”

Shaking his head, he told them once more, “Guys, you’ve been up an hour and a half later than you usually are! We’ll pick up where we left off tomorrow, I promise! It’s time to go to bed, especially if you wanna watch the parade tomorrow!”

“But, we wanna know what happens!” The boys whined.

“You’ll find out tomorrow, because we’ll finish the story then!” Chris told them, pointing to the entrance of the fort, telling them without words story time was definitely done for the night. “Do you really want your mom coming down here and getting mad for you being up waaaaay past your bedtime? I don’t want to get yelled at! Come on, let’s call it a night now, get a good night’s sleep, dreaming about grouchy dragons and what they’ll do to get revenge, and come back tomorrow afternoon to finish the story, ‘cause I’m ready to go to bed, and even though I see you’re excited, you both have been yawning for the last half hour…”

Grumbling and pouting, the boys dragged feet to file out of the fort, stomping up the stairs with their pillows dragging behind them, heading up to bed. Chris and I called our goodnights after them; shifting to move to make my exit, Chris’ fingers wrapped around my wrist, stopping me in my tracks.

“What’s the matter? What’s wrong?” I asked, brows knitting together in confusion at the intense expression on his face.

“Nothing’s wrong, babe…quite the opposite actually…” Chris said softly, tugging my wrist to draw me closer, right hand reaching to cradle my face before moving to support my neck, adding,  “What were you thinking? What was going on in your head to make you look at me like you wanted to eat me alive a minute ago?”

Chuckling, I could feel the blush burning my cheeks as well as the tops of my ears as I lowered my eyes; licking my lips, I met his gaze, now dark as his pupils dilated.

“I was thinking about just how fucking sexy you were in that exact moment.” I answered, honest in my confession as I leaned closer, twining my arms behind Chris’ neck, pulling his mouth to mine for a suggestive kiss full of tongue and promise before adding on a breathy pant, “Thinking about you reading to _OUR_ kids, performing just for them at bed time…you’re gonna be such a DILF.”

“Oh…Have you been thinking about that a lot recently?” Chris humming with amusement, his hand skimming down my neck, palming the curve of my breast in the sports bra and t-shirt before venturing the rest of the path down my torso to rest on my hip. Pulling back, his eyes had been soft and full of warmth as he watched me in such close proximity before they rounded and I could see him panicking as his question settled in his own ears. “I mean…shit, I didn’t…I know _that’s_ been on your mind, hell, it’s been at the forefront of everything going through my mind in the last few days…” Chris sputtered and babbled, verbal diarrhea spilling from him in the most awkward and endearing way possible.

Lifting my right arm from where I held him close, I stopped him with a finger to his lips. His expressive eyebrows held his forehead lifted high, his beautiful blue eyes wide with worry and concern he said something that would set me off, and his lips comically pressed against my finger as I shut him up had me smiling.

“Chris…it’s okay. I know what you meant, and yes, it has been something on my mind quite a bit in the last few days especially with us deciding to throw caution to the wind and elope in a matter of weeks.” I laughed softly, reassuring him; moving my finger from his lips, I caressed my thumb over his hairy cheek, confessing, “We’re going to start trying, and just seeing you interact with Ethan, Miles and Stella…well, it does funny things to my girly parts…and like I said, you’re going to be such an amazing Daddy! I really can’t wait to just step back, and watch you with our brood…”

He had closed his eyes and leaned into my touch, a tiny smile curling the left corner of his mouth as a contented hum purred from his chest. Leaning my face close, I ever so gently pressed my lips to his in the barest hint of a kiss as his hand moved from my hip to fix itself against my stomach.

“How many?” Chris growled, my bottom lip caught between his teeth when he nipped at me to keep me kissing him. “My witchy woman…tell my fortune…”

Leaning back, I broke the embrace to lay back, flat on the cushions and blankets. Crooking my finger at Chris, I called him to me; he settled atop my body, nestled in the ‘v’ of my legs before scooting down to facilitate him pushing the hem of my shirt up to expose my torso and pulling the waistband of my leggings low, allowing him to touch, caress, nuzzle and plant kisses over the stretch of skin that would hopefully soon grow with the beginnings of our family.

Reaching for his right hand, I pulled it from my waist, holding it to look at his palm; tracing the tip of my pointer finger along the long lines intersecting over his skin, I smiled as I began painting a picture for him.

“How many kids?” I asked with a smile; Chris grinned back at me, before pressing a kiss just under my belly button. “Well…how many do you want?”

“As many as you’re willing to give me!” He laughed as his other hand rubbed over my flesh slowly in long passes.

“I’m thinking four…you’re the second of four…” I chortled, but Chris butted in.

“Well…seven if you include Dad’s youngest…my half siblings.” He added sheepishly. The subject of his younger half sisters and brother had been brought up earlier in our short relationship, and having half siblings of my own, he knew where I stood on that particular topic.

“Half or no, they’re still your little brother and sisters…” I reminded him with a raised brow before getting back to what I had been saying. “You’re the second of the oldest four…I’m the youngest of my dad’s four…four is a solid number, for both of us…that’s plenty of little feet to pitter patter around the house along with the horde of four legged children I’m sure we’ll acquire, with us both having soft hearts for animals…”

“What do you want, babe? Boys? Girls?” He asked drawing lazy patterns over my tummy, his eyes focused up my body, watching me.

“At least one of each…as long as they’re healthy and whole, I really don’t care if we have all boys, all girls or a mix of both!” I told him truthfully, matching the pattern he traced on me onto the palm of his hand I still held. “What about you?”

“I want a little girl…one that looks like you.” Chris confessed, a blush warming his cheeks at his admission. “Don’t get me wrong, I want a son too, to teach him everything I know…how to be a great man…but I see the relationship between Ryan and Stella, and I want a little princess of my own, with your dark brown hair, and those gorgeous green eyes of yours…”

“And she’ll have you wrapped around her little finger…” I giggled as I laid his hand on my chest, holding it over my heart in my left as my right reached down to cradle his head, pulling him up my body.

Once he was situated, arms framing my shoulders and head, his nose rubbing gently with mine, he whispered, “Just like her Momma.”

“Are you sure you can handle a miniature version of me? I am quite the handful, ya know…” I joked, teasing the handsome man braced above me with a shit eating smirk lifting his face and a hungry, longing look in his eyes.

An eyebrow arched high on his forehead a second before Chris let some of his weight rest fully on me, letting me know he was ready and wanting more than just conversation of making children, the evidence was firmly planted against me where our bodies met. Dropping his head to whisper in my ear with his deeper timber, Chris explained, “Kay…you look forward to watching me read to our kids, tell them stories, to show them what imagination can do…baby, I look forward to seeing matching long, dark ponytails swinging wildly as you walk hand in hand with a tiny version of you…I look forward to walking in and finding you play makeup with your mini-me…gonna be such a sexy Mommy, and I can’t fahking wait.”

* * *

The sound of little feet pounding through the hallway outside the bedroom door woke me; Dodger’s head lifted from the foot of the bed, but he soon snorted his response towards the door and flopped back into position, falling back asleep. Chris laid with his back to me, his right arm dangling over the edge of the mattress. Gently, I turned, sidling up to the expanse of bare skin exposed to the room from where the comforter rested around his waist.

Pressing a kiss to his shoulder blade, I snuggled close, pressing my cotton covered chest into him as my arm snaked around him. A hum emanating from his chest and throat told me I had successfully slipped into his dreaming state.

“Good morning…are you coming down to watch the parade with me and the kiddos?” I asked sleepily, rubbing my thick wool sock along the inside of his ankle slowly.

“Nnnn…”

“I take it that’s a no, then?” I smiled, enjoying his form of communication while being practically comatose-it was normally me on the receiving end of these questions, almost always after a night of either too much drinking, too much fucking, not enough sleep, or a combination of all three. It was amusing, and I couldn’t help myself, asking “Not even for a quickie?”

Silence met my ears; he was out for the count so I retreated, extracting myself from the covers and climbing over his sleeping form to pull on the leggings that had been thrown off once we came upstairs and made love, fell asleep and woke throughout the night to keep the flames stoked between us.

I tip toed back to the mattress, bending to kiss Chris’ cheek, brushing the messy, longer hair back from his face; clapping a hand over my mouth, I fought to stifle my giggles as I found him in the same position he liked to make fun of me for…resting in a large puddle of drool.

“I’m glad I wore you out…my big, strong Super Hero…get some rest, love.” I whispered, pushing his hair back once more when it fell back over his forehead. Watching him in sweet, deep repose, I took him in for a moment, seizing the rare opportunity afforded to me right then and there. Those mile long dark lashes fanned out across the top of his cheeks, the sunlight trying to sneak in through the cracks hit his growing beard just right, highlighting the different shades of browns, hints of auburn and red, and in two spots in particular, the few grey hairs making themselves known; I couldn’t help but smile at those tiny glimpses of the future with Chris…

_’Silver fox-’_ I thought to myself, tilting my head to see the little patches pressed against the pillowcase better, _‘-you’re gonna give ol’ George Clooney a run for his money when you go full grey, Christopher…’_

Ever so gently, I wiped a string of drool from the corner of his mouth before ghosting my lips over his before I pushed him to his back, centering him in the bed.

“I love you…so much, Chris, but you’re gonna drown in your own saliva…come on. There you go, babe…” I chuckled while grunting and groaning, shifting him.

He tensed, muscles drawing in on himself before relaxing again, but not before he mumbled, still mostly asleep, “Love you…baby…”

“I love you too, Sleeping Beauty.” I grinned like fool, relishing calling him by one of his many Disney inspired pet names he had for me before standing, moving to the door, and tilting my head for Dodger to join me once he looked back up; he stretched, slinking off the end of the mattress and taking his sweet time to meander through the door. “You’re definitely your Daddy’s dog…” I whispered as I closed the door behind me.

* * *

Cracking an eye open, Chris took a deep breath as his right hand moved across the sheet to find Katie, but he found only cold linens and a wall of pillows. Turning his head, he frowned at the empty space his woman should have be occupying, half naked, warm and willing to go another round…hell, even the dog should have been curled up at his feet, keeping them warm. He scrubbed a hand over his face, letting out a wide yawn while his free hand scratched over his bare chest. Turning back to the nightstand, he blinked three…four…five times, willing the numbers to come into focus.

10:27 AM.

“Shit…” He groaned, rolling out of bed. “Fahhk. She’s gonna kill me for missing the parade…” He stood, grabbing the sweats he had worn the night before from the floor, pulling them on clumsily before grabbing the faded and worn Pats shirt from the top of the hamper in the corner to tug on as he made his way to the bathroom, bumping and bouncing off walls while struggling to wake up.

Opening the door, Chris could hear the sounds of the parade as Matt Lauer commentated; taking the stairs at the front of the house, he descended to loop back through the living room before making a bee-line to the coffee pot and out the back door for a smoke.

Shuffling into the living room, Chris couldn’t help but smile at the sight of a line of heads occupying his mother’s couch. Miles sat on the far left, Katie in the middle, Stella partially in her lap, and Ethan on the other side; Katie’s hair was haphazardly piled on the top of her head, already trying to escape the lopsided top knot…something he found adorable and endearing. He walked up to the back of the couch just as Ethan turned his face to say something to Katie, spotting him.

“Hi Unca Chris, you just missed the Ninja Turtles float.”

Katie’s head tipped back, her smile beaming up at him as she rested her head on the back of the couch; the two other kids shouted their excited greetings as he waved his fingers at them. Bending at the waist, he pecked a quick kiss to her waiting lips.

“Morning, Baby.” He mumbled against her mouth, her hand reaching up to scratch along the hairline at the back of his neck.

“Morning…how’d you sleep?” She responded, shooting him a conspiring wink since she knew she had worn his ass out.

“Like the dead…I was beat…” He grinned, flashing his brow to communicate the unspoken _‘…from fucking you through the night.’_

“I could tell…” She chuckled, pulling him back down for another kiss; a chorus of ‘ewwww’s’ and sounds of disgust erupted around them, making both Chris and Katie chortle mid lip lock. Chris pulled back to shoot a warning glance at the three youngest members of his family. Katie’s finger poking him playfully in the stomach had him looking down on her and finding it hard to concentrate when he was afforded the perfect view down the v-neck to the mile long cleavage her sports bra created. Another jab to his abs got his eyes to travel back to her amused face. “…and I don’t wanna hear anymore jokes about me drooling on my pillow, mister! You were about ready to drown in the puddle underneath your face if I hadn’t’ve rolled you over!”

Chuckling, Chris shook his head, bending once more to steal a kiss before standing back up; pointing to her oversized mug on the coffee table, he asked, “Want a refill?”

Katie leaned forward, grabbing the cup without hesitation, holding it up for him to take with an appreciative smile.

“Thank you, Honey.” She called sweetly over her shoulder, reaching her arm over the back of the couch to pat his ass as he turned and headed for the kitchen.

Padding in, the kitchen was bustling as his mother and older sister were busy with their tasks of basting, chopping and assembling trays of veggies to snack on. Yawning, he lifted Katie’s mug in salute as he walked to the coffee pot, Lisa and Carly calling their salutations to him; snagging another mug from the cabinet, he poured what remained of the liquid into his cup to get another pot started while he went outside.

Lifting his half a cup of coffee for the first sip, he could feel himself becoming more and more human as the strong brew raced down his throat. Turning on the ball of his foot, Chris whistled for Dodger, who came jogging into the kitchen, happy as a clam. Pointing to the sliding door, Chris met his boy as he snagged his smokes and lighter from the counter, and out they went into the crisp November morning air.

Half a cup of coffee and a cigarette later, Chris stepped back inside the warmth of the kitchen, a shiver running through him as he set the box back in it’s usual spot when he was home, the corner of the counter nearest the sliding door. Lisa looked up from the pile of dishes she was washing, a brow raised in question.

“I thought you were trying to give it up again?” She asked, a smile showing her amusement at his continued promise of quitting his dirty habit. Carly’s head turned to show her matching grin as well as a snicker.

“I am…let’s just say…” He started, but Scott’s voice cut him off as he and their brother in law spoke up from the dining table.

“He earned it after last night…” His brother laughed. “Hell, I needed a smoke after what I heard going on in there…I’m calling it right now, I give it six months before they make an ‘announcement’ with the way these two go at it…”

“SCOTT!” Chris shouted, embarrassed at his and Katie’s sex life being the topic of the moment and him having only half a cup of coffee in him to help with the retorts. His brother just burst into heartier laughs, the rest of the adults in the kitchen joining in.

“What are you yelling about in there?” Katie yelled down the hall, her voice muffled by the house as well as the speakers on the T.V.

“She’s gonna kill you…” Scott and Ryan giggled, pointing at Chris as he walked over to the coffee pot, pouring Katie more coffee, and only getting another half a cup in his own before the pot ran dry.

“Seriously?” He asked, holding up the glass urn. Pointing a finger at his brother and brother-in-law accusingly, he growled, “Make another pot, and fill my cup up…assholes…and besides, she won’t kill me ‘cause no me…no babies. But you guys on the other hand…and by ‘you guys’, I mean Scotty…”

Pouring the creamer into Katie’s cup, Chris finished up and walked out of the kitchen to claim his spot on the couch and catch the last part of the parade.

Extending his arm to hand over her mug once he stopped at the end of sofa, Chris addressed his niece and nephews.

“Alright, somebody’s gotta move, ‘cause we’re not all fitting on the couch like that…”

“I nawt moobing!” Stella proclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest, and glaring up at Chris.

“Me eever!” Miles stated, leaning into Katie’s side. Ethan looked up, shaking his head with a silent ‘nope’; Katie shook with quiet giggles at Chris’ indignant expression.

“Sorry, Babe…they claimed their spots before the parade started! You weren’t waking up to come down and watch…I hate to say it, but you get that lonely chair over there.” She chuckled into her coffee as she took a sip, her green eyes dancing with amusement.

“But…but…”

“Sorry…you can survive twenty more minutes of me not touching you.” She laughed, biting her lip as a devilish grin spread over her face, flirting and taunting him with the action she knew drove him crazy while at the bottom of ‘dog pile’, protected by his niece and nephews. “You got more than your fair share last night…”

Chris narrowed his eyes, shaking his head as he sat in the chair at the end of the couch; Katie shook with silent laughter when he mouthed, “Evil…evil, evil woman…” She blew him a kiss before turning back to the television, just as Miss Piggy and Tony Bennett were announced to sing ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’.

Watching the scene play out before them, Chris sipped his coffee, muttering and mumbling under his breath as the American Icons sang their duet; Katie’s face was sad as she watched, but when the final notes of the song came around he saw her eyes round in shock, her hand clapping over her mouth as she gasped.

“What?” He asked, looking at the television quickly only to see the float moving out of frame.

“Oh my God…they almost killed Tony Bennett on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!” She exclaimed, pointing at the T.V. Lisa called down the hall, wanting to know what happened, so Katie repeated herself. “They almost killed Tony Bennett! Who’s brilliant idea was it to put a 90 year old man on a float, and not strap him down?!? He almost fell right off the float, and the ONLY person to make a move to save him, was Miss Piggy! Geez…” Katie leaned back, her head resting on the couch, her free hand rubbing over her heart as she continued to mumble to herself about what just happened; Chris lifted his cup to cover his chuckle at seeing her get so worked up.

Santa and Mrs. Claus making their appearance brought the parade to a close; the kids jumped off the couch, running into the kitchen for snacks, Katie being dragged in by kids on both arms and Chris bringing up the rear while reaching out to grab a handful of hers in the process.

“Stop it!” She glared at him over her shoulder, but she couldn’t hide her smile.

“Baaaaaaaabe!!” He whined, trying to give her his best pouty lip.

“Behave!”

“That’s no fun though!” He grinned.

* * *

Fresh cups of coffee sat at our sides, the boys sprawled out in front of us while Chris picked up where he left off in the tale of Bilbo Baggins; normally, I would watch the dog show that airs after the parade, but the boys were too eager to find out what happened next, so we tromped down to the basement. Sidling up next to Chris, he lifted his arm so I could cuddle into his side; I rested my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes to enjoy listening to him speak and promptly nodded off, the last thing I remembered was the thrush telling Bard about the missing scale in Smaug’s breast plate.

                                                             …

“…The news of the death of the guardian…” Chris read in a silly voice to give character to the ancient raven, Roak.

“Unca Chris…” Miles interrupted. Chris looked over the top of the Kindle, his forehead lifted in question at the younger boy. He pointed at Katie as he said, “Kitty’s sleeping…”

“She is…why don’t we take a little break? You can go use the potty and ask Noni how much longer until it’s time to eat, okay?”

Ethan yawned behind his hand, nodding as he and his younger brother crawled out of the fort to use the restroom and do as they had been told, allowing Chris to shift Katie so her head rested in his lap, and her body was in a more comfortable position but the movement woke her.

“Shiiiiiit…did I fall asleep?” She asked as she scrubbed her fingers into her eyes, a series of wide yawns leaving her.

“Yeah…Miles just pointed it out, but I knew you nodded off about an hour ago. I’m just surprised you stayed upright that long!” Chris told her, petting her hair back from her face tenderly, before adding with an amused, tiny smile, “Seems I wasn’t the only one worn out from last night…”

A faint blush warmed Katie’s cheeks as she looked up at him from his lap, and Chris loved it.

“Maybe…” Katie grinned, reaching her right hand up to bop the tip of his nose, adding, “I didn’t intend on taking a nap, I closed my eyes to just listen to you reading to the kiddos, but being cuddled up to you, and you being so warm…and you smell sexy…”

Cocking a brow, Chris chortled; lifting his arm high, he sniffed at his pit before looking looking back down at the sleepy, grinning woman reclining against his lap.

“You think I smell sexy right now? I haven’t showered since yesterday afternoon…” He asked, chuckling softly as he lowered his arm, his hand migrating towards Katie’s stomach underneath the throw blanket she curled up in. Her face broke into a wide grin before she turned her face to bury in the crotch of his sweats, a huge inhale sounding a second before both cracked up. “Oh my Gahhd, you weirdo, get out of there before the boys come back! I don’t smell anything, your sniffer’s off, babe…”

Mischievous green eyes glittered up at him as she settled back to her former position.

“My nose works just fine…you smell like warm cotton, your D.O., fresh air with a hint of smoke, coffee…and sex…I can smell hints of me, my body wash, my perfume…”

“I like catching whiffs of you on me…almost as much as I like smelling ‘me’ on you when you come to visit…” He admitted, running a finger along her jaw, turning her face to better see his.

“I have a stick of your deodorant at home…” She confessed, embarrassed. “I bought it after you came to visit…I smell it more than I should probably admit to, but it was a cheap and easy band-aid solution for when I miss you…that and a can of body spray I dose my pillow in before bed on really bad days…”

“Babe…” He called, caressing his thumb over Katie’s cheek as he watched her with a sad smile.

“I ran out of it last week…” She added, reaching up to hold his hand to her cheek, telling him, “I didn’t _want_ to think about you…it hurt too damn much on top of everything else, but I couldn’t stop myself, and that fucking can of body spray got emptied into my bedroom like air freshener and into my bedding…I bet that makes me sound like some weirdo stalker, huh?”

Shaking his head slightly, Chris bent to kiss her lips, whispering on a chuckle, “Nah…that makes you sound like you _actually_ love me!” Leaning back, Chris inhaled before sighing heavily, adding, “I wish you would have called me…I hate that you went through all of that alone, babe…”

“Nothing to be done about it now…so, where are we at in the book now?” She asked, changing the subject. Chris narrowed his eyes, frowning slightly down at her in his lap. “Chris, we can’t do anything to change what happened. Believe me, if I could, I would…we’d most likely be blabbing to your mom from sheer happiness and excitement, because I’d still be pregnant, or at the very least, I would have just got over myself and called you…but I can’t-” Katie sighed with a lopsided shrug, “-and now I know it’s not just me on my little island of stubborn self reliance anymore…now I’ve got your insisting, and stubborn ass to keep me company…”

Chris chuckled, nodding in agreement as she poked her finger into his chest playfully.

“You’re my Wilson…the only thing keeping me somewhat sane on my little desert island…” Katie laughed. “Just don’t go and float away!”

“I won’t…I promise!” He smiled, bending to kiss her as two little voices called down the staircase, interrupting the moment.

“Unca Chris! Auntie Kitty! Mommy said it’s time to eat!”

Pulling back, Chris exhaled with a soft laugh.

“Okay, we’ll be there in a second!” He called, his hands closing around Katie’s face to hold her still, allowing him another kiss once he heard the door slam shut, whispering against Katie’s lips, he told her, “Just think, babe…a year from now you’ll be Mrs. Evans, and if we haven’t brought a baby into the world by then, hopefully we’ll be expecting one…”

Smiling, Katie mirrored his actions, cradling his face above hers as she teased, “I don’t know what you want more, a kid or all the practice that goes into making them…”

“Both…definitely both. Ya know how long I’ve been thinking about and imagining you…being pregnant?-” Chris grinned; breaking his hold on her cheek, Chris moved his hand back to her stomach, rubbing his palm over the material that covered her. Shaking her head, Katie indicated she had no clue, so Chris sheepishly confessed, “Since about five…ten minutes into that podcast at Anna’s, babe. Right around the same amount of time my heart decided you were it…I love you so much, and I hope this year is the only year we have to spend Christmas apart and without our family…that’s what I want…a baby…that’s what I want next Christmas.”

“You aren’t asking for much, are you?” Katie giggled as Chris leaned over to kiss her belly, her fingers sinking into his hair; turning his face to rest on her abdomen, Chris smiled contentedly back up Katie’s body to her, she blew him a kiss in response as her left hand stroked his cheek.

Rolled away from his lap, Katie crawled out from under the roof of the fort on hands and knees, ass swaying in front of Chris’ face; he reached out and landed a playful but solid swat, loving the ripple of her flesh under the leggings. She moved to wait at the bottom of the stairs for him to join her; standing on the bottom step, she grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, grimacing at the Pats logo before meeting his gaze with a smile. She pulled him the last few inches separating their bodies, now level and eye to eye for a tender and loving kiss before telling him softly, “I’ll see what I can do…God knows it’s the one thing I can actually give you that you can’t just go and get on your own!”

* * *

The table had looked beautiful when we sat down. Lisa and Carly, along with Scott and Ryan’s help, had done the heavy lifting with cooking, but Shanna had put her talents to good use, making the table and settings gorgeous…now, with dinner eaten, and all of us leaning back in our chairs massaging the full bellies that made all of us look about four months pregnant, the table looked like a war zone. The turkey carcass sat askew on the platter, Chris and Scott picking at the pieces of bird that never made it to plates while digging for the wishbone…I watched Miles and Ethan try to sneak marshmallows off the sweet potatoes, but their subtly definitely needed practice as Shanna kept catching them, sending the boys into giggles. Stella ate so much she was nodding off in her seat, threatening to plop face first into the remainder of her mashed potatoes if her father let go of her ponytail…stretching to reach the bowl of olives, I snagged a few, shoving the tips of my fingers into the larger holes before waving my fingers at Carly, getting a snort of laughter from her and Lisa, as well the rest of the table when they caught on.

Pulling my hand back, I began consuming the fat, black olives one by one from my fingers, earning giggles from the boys as they called for olives of their own to mimic me.

“Show me your gecko toes.” I smiled across the table, holding up the three remaining olives on my hand. Four little hands were held high in the air to proudly display their new body modifications.

“What’s a gecko, Auntie?” Miles asked, his little forehead pinched in question.

“Buddy, you know what a gecko is! You’ve seen them in the zoo!” Scott called over to his youngest nephew.

“You know…those little lizards we see at Disney World!” Carly and her husband both smiled. “You’ll see one next month and go, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s a gecko?’”

I couldn’t help laughing because I could picture his little face when he recognized the lizards Carly had been talking about. Chris reached over, grabbing my wrist to pull to his mouth where he inhaled an olive off my finger just as Ethan asked, “Kitty, you’re going to Disney World with us, right?”

Those nine words had me freezing, my eyes looking to Chris for guidance.

“Kitty…” Chris started to say but I cut him off, leaning my arms on the table as I spoke up.

“I would love to…but I can’t, sweetie. I’m going to be super busy with work, and I can’t change plans…but since you’re going just after my birthday, will you eat a Dole Whip and a gingermouse cookie for me?-” I explained, glancing from Ethan to Miles and back between them with a smile, adding, “-And if you see Stitch, will you give him a **HUGE** hug from me? He’s **MY** favorite, and I never seem to find him at Disneyland when I go!”

“Are you coming back fo’ Christmas?” Miles piped up, his bottom lip pouted out and his eyes trying to guilt me into saying yes.

“I have to spend at least one holiday with my mom, sweetie…and besides, I haven’t been invited to come back for Christmas…” I pointed out with a small smile. It was true, the formal invitation hadn’t been extended, and even if I could have flown back to join them for another holiday, I hated to assume…

“I don’t really think you need an invite, Dear…” Lisa spoke softly from the head of the table, leveling a pointed look at my stomach from behind the rim of her wine glass, one eyebrow raised in an arch. “We’ve claimed you whether you like it or not…and while I understand it’s short notice, you _ARE_ invited to come back for Christmas, if you’d like to…but if you have plans with your mother, I can’t expect you to drop them just for us-” she called down the table to me, her face turning that all knowing, and slightly scary ‘mom glare’ at both Chris and I before adding, “-but I suspect this won’t be an issue next year, right Christopher?”

Biting my lips, I fought a smile, touching the medallion disc bearing his initial which acted as my ‘engagement necklace’; Chris’ left hand settled on my knee under the table, much like his bold first move the night we met just a couple short months earlier. He gave my leg a possessive yet reassuring squeeze. “No…it won’t.” he smiled, beaming it around the table, before landing on me, adding, “I’m thinking Christmas next is gonna be a very good one, indeed…”

Scott’s face broke into a mile wide smile, the rest of the family, Lisa and the girls mainly, looked amongst themselves, jaws in their laps.

“Did you…?” Shanna asked, her eyes round as she pointed at her older brother.

“Are you…?” Carly squeaked, leaning across her husband to look at my hand for a ring, but not finding one, she looked back and forth between Chris and I.

“ **YOU ARE!!!** ” Lisa shouted, clapping her hands over her mouth to muffle a giddy scream; Chris and I smiled at one another, his hand giving me another squeeze as he leaned over to kiss my temple.

“What? What’s going on?” The boys asked, confusion apparent on their faces, as the adults got loud, boisterous and began reaching to pat Chris and I both on the arms, shoulders, and squeeze our hands in congratulations, until Lisa stood and came rushing over to pull us both from our chairs for hugs and kisses.

“How long have you been…?” Lisa asked, holding me at arm’s length.

“Since Monday…after we made the marker.” Chris told her, a lopsided grin lifting the left side of his face in a radiant expression. “It was kind of a mutual decision…but I did ask…”

“Got down on a knee and everything…” I laughed as I fought off tears threatening to spill. Lisa grabbed my left hand, looking for ring, but when she didn’t find one, she whipped around to glare at her oldest son.

“Well…where is it?”

I blustered out a laugh, touching the necklace.

“I don’t have a ring yet, this is my place holder…” I explained, holding the small disc up for Lisa and Chris’ sisters, who had stood and joined us to look at my jewelry.

“Less conspicuous this way…” Chris tried to add, but he got shoved to the side to make room for his sisters to flank me for hugs and happy tears; Scott and Ryan stood, coming over to hug him, pounding on his back with their soft words of happiness after the news at the beginning of the week had put a damper on the festivities. A hand slapping his leg pulled his attention away from Scott’s animated talking; taking a knee, Chris smiled at Miles and Ethan, asking, “What’s up, buds?”

“Everybody else is slapping you, we thought we would too.” They said, pointing out the obvious with huge grins as they continued to pound on his arms. Chris tipped his head back, laughing at their frank honesty and innocence.

“Why are we slapping you?” Miles asked, making Chris as well as the rest of the adults crack up all over again.

“Because Uncle Chris and Katie are gonna get married.” Carly explained, reaching over to ruffle his hair affectionately. She glanced at Chris, asking, “You’re planning on introducing her to Dad before you get married right?”

“That’s what lunch is for tomorrow…” Scott said, stepping back from squeezing me tight in his bear hug embrace; my head whipped around, hearing those words.

“WHAT?!?!” I squawked.

“Yeah…lunch, we’re meeting Dad for lunch tomorrow. You, me and Scott…” Chris said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders once he stood back to full height.

“Can I talk to you for a moment? Alone…” I said flatly, grabbing his wrist and dragging him out of the dining room for privacy; a low ‘ohhhhhhhh’ chased us out of the room as the rest of the family chuckled, enjoying the fact we were about to have a ‘lovers spat’. Stopping in the laundry room, I pulled the door closed, and turned to stare at him expectantly, my arms crossed under my chest, my forehead lifted high by my wide, rounded eyes.

“What?” He asked, confused.

“Chris…I cannot meet your father like this…I didn’t bring anything appropriate to wear!”

“Babe, it’s just my Dad!” He chuckled, finding the situation amusing as I began freaking out.

“No…it’s ‘meeting your father’! I was not informed I’d be meeting the other half of your genetic makeup this trip!” I exclaimed, continuing with, “I was prepared to meet your mom and sisters…I made sure I looked presentable and was dressed nicely! All I brought this time were bum around the house clothes, Christopher! I fanciest thing I bought to wear is an off the shoulder sweatshirt and jeans! I don’t want his first impression of me to be ‘Oh great, my oldest son is marrying the chick from Flashdance!’ or…”

“Babe…BABE!” He shouted over me, turning my face to look at him once he got me to quiet down form my blathering and squawking. “Whatever you brought will be fine, I promise! It’s not like we’re going to the steakhouse or the Country Club for lunch, you won’t have to worry about being under dressed…Dad usually just grabs a bite at the cafe in his office, but he’ll like getting out of the office and meeting us the cafe just a few buildings over. He’s not going to give two shits about what you’re wearing…but he IS excited to finally get to meet you.”

“He is?” I asked breathlessly, a tiny smile pulling at the corners of my mouth. Chris pulled me into his chest, nodding with his own small smile.

“Yeah…what? Did you think I hadn’t told him about you? He’s looking forward to meeting the woman that’s had me ass over tea kettle, tied up in knots and chasing my own tail for the last two months.”

“I really want to be mad at you right now…you could have warned me, ya know…” I pouted weakly, punching his shoulder lightly as I looked up through my lashes at him.

“Why would I do that, when you’re so cute as you freak the fahk out!” He laughed, dodging out of my reach as I swung one more punch towards his arm, but his hand caught my fist as he added on a quiet voice, “Let’s not bring up eloping…if they ask, we’re only just starting to plan, okay? ‘Cause having Ma, my sisters AND Stella mad about being robbed out of a wedding is the last thing I need right now…”

Looking him dead in the eye, I stated the obvious.

“Ohhhhhhhh…she’s gonna kill youuuuuuuuu!”

“What’s the price to buy your silence?” He chuckled.

“You…forever.” I smiled, standing on tiptoes to peck a kiss to his lips. “A trip to Disney wouldn’t hurt either…”

“Deal. How’s a ‘honeymoon’ in Disneyland sound?” He grinned, returning the little kisses I peppered his mouth with. “Couple of days in the parks, the hotel, those ridiculous bride and groom Mickey ears? ‘Cause I kinda need a date to the Golden Globes on the 8th…know anybody that might be interested?” He teased, adding, “Make the announcement on the red carpet…are you ready for that? All the prying, and people trying to get into your personal life, all that shit with the gossip rags will get worse…are you sure you’re ready for that, Kay?”

“You trying to get rid of me already? We’re not even married yet!” I joked before sobering up to seriousness to tell him, “I told you, ‘I’m yours, and you’re mine’…I’m not going anywhere, Chris. I’m ready to face whatever’s coming down the barrel for us as long as I’ve got you holding my hand the whole way.”

“How did I get so lucky with you?”

Waving my hand in front of my face, I blew a raspberry with a scrunched up face…something I’d seen him do countless times in interviews and in the last two months, up close and personal when he wanted to dismiss anything even close to praise from his close friends and family.

“Don’t be like that…I mean it, babe…”

“Shut up Evans…don’t get sappy on me now…there’s a pumpkin pie in the kitchen with my name on it, and I don’t trust your brother to leave it alone, come on…” I teased, pulling him out of the laundry room behind me with a smile. Turning to look back at him, I whispered, “I think we both finally got the love we both deserve in each other, baby…”

* * *

“ **SCOTT ANDREW EVANS BACK AWAY FROM THE PIE!** ” Katie screamed, her left hand pointing at Scott, who stood like a deer in headlights, an empty plate held in his hands as they walked into the kitchen; Chris chuckled as Katie dropped his hand and rushed over to the counter top to shove Scott away from her pumpkin pie. She glared at him, mean mugging his brother as she plucked her personal pie from the line up, snagging a fork and a can of whipped cream from the fridge before shuffling out the doorway to gather up the kids to finish the last stretch of the book in the basement.

“She’s scary…” He said, pointing out the obvious with a finger and his fork pointed at her back.

“Damn right I am!” She called back over her shoulder as she exited the room; her head poked in the door, a shit eating grin spreading over her face as she added, “Scotty, I love you, but touch my pie again, and I’ll cut you, esse!” before disappearing.

Chris, Lisa and Shanna all threw their heads back, laughing as Scott planted, blinking in disbelief, his plate and fork still held in the air.

“Are you gonna let her talk to me like that?” Scott asked, looking at Chris with a dopey grin and his own bubbling laughter.

“Dude…there is no ‘letting’ her do shit! She does what she wants, and I love her all the more for it! Keeps me on my toes!-” Chris explained through his giggles, walking over to the fridge for a beer; he bent, leaning into the cooler to snag two bottles, standing and knocking the door shut with his foot before sending an amused grin to Scott with the warning, “-But she’s entirely serious…she loves her pumpkin…”

“And you’re going to marry her?” Scott grinned.

“Yuppp.” Chris nodded, popping the ‘p’; grabbing the bottle opener, he popped the caps off the bottles. He tossed them in the garbage, stowing away the gadget and picking up the bottles; walking towards Scott, he held one out, but just as his brother reached for it, he pulled his arm back. “And just think…you’ll have each other to pester and annoy for the rest of your lives…” Chris pointed out.

Scott groaned, his eyes rolling back dramatically to emphasize just how put out he was, but it was all for show…Chris knew he loved Katie, they clicked right off the bat, and had developed a close bond like that of siblings in an extremely short amount of time…Hell, there were days in the last couple of weeks he’d found out after the fact that they had more frequent exchanges than he had with Katie…

“Oh, it’s gonna be fun…” Scott smiled, his voice wistful as he stared off into space.

Shaking his head with a chortle of soft laughs, Chris knocked his shoulder into Scott’s, nodding towards the doorway.

“Come on, you going in to watch the game, or you coming down to finish the book with us?”

Scott’s jaw dropped, his forehead furrowed and a gasp of shock escaped him.

“You…missing the Thanksgiving Day games? It MUST be love…” Scott said, not believing his football crazy big brother would pass up screaming at the television to read a book to their sisters kids.

“It IS…and the fact the boys won’t leave us alone until we finish the story…” Chris admitted; Scott cocked his head to the side, a somber and serious expression crossing his face while he clasped Chris’ shoulder, squeezing it as he spoke.

“They love her…and she loves them, bro…she’s gonna be a good mom when you…ya know…” Scott reassured him, hesitant to outright bring up Katie being pregnant again after the reaction he received the last time he broached that subject. “We got spoiled, with Ma…but I have a feeling Kay’s going to be the same…”

“Me too, bro…me too.” Chris sighed happily.

* * *

Chris and Scott had joined Katie, the boys and even Stella sat under the roof of their fort, snuggled into Katie’s side, more focused on bites of pie off her fork than the story as Chris settled and picked up where they had left off.

Lisa had called down the stairs informing them that the tree had been set up and it was time to start decorating once they came up. Chris yelled back that they had two short chapters left, and would be up in thirty minutes.

“ _‘Thank goodness!’ said Bilbo laughing, and handed him the tobacco jar._ ” Chris read, lowering the Kindle, his forehead held aloft by his brows as he smiled at Ethan and Miles. “That’s it…all done! What’d you think? Did you like it?”

Both boys nodded vigorously, shifting to sit up from where they laid on their tummies. Scott sat leaning back against the wall opposite him, ankles crossed and eating the last of the pie Katie had pushed towards him earlier.

“That was awesome!” Ethan grinned.

“Again, again!” Miles called, shaking Chris’ leg for emphasis.

“Not ‘again’!” Chris laughed, reaching down to tickle Miles’ neck; the boy squirmed and giggled as he shied away from his uncle’s attention. “What do you say to Kitty, it was her idea to read this to you guys?”

The boys looked over at Katie, telling her ‘Thank you’; Chris glanced over at her, doing a tiny double take when he realized she sat back, leaning like Scott against the wall, only Stella had crawled into her lap, and dozed off. Katie sat with her arms wrapped around his niece, her cheek resting on her little skull and a hand rubbed slowly over her little back. Chris felt his heart stop, his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth, and such a longing washed over him at the sight before eyes…it wasn’t his niece she was holding, consoling and loving on in his mind, the little girl had dark espresso brown hair a single braid, much darker than Stella’s hair…she had full, almost chubby cheeks, and Katie’s nose with his lips and long eyelashes he could make out from where the face lay smushed against Katie’s shoulder.

She lifted her head, smiling warmly over at the boys. And all he could see was two more kids with her dark brown hair.

“You’re welcome, sweethearts. Thank you for letting me share that with you…it’s one of my favorite stories! We’ll have to watch the cartoon one of these days…” She told them, but Chris barely heard her, he was so overcome by the picture in his head, imagining this was their little family, reading and spending quality time together; his heart ached at how much he wanted it to be true, but he knew their journey was only just beginning, they had some time yet before he would be surrounded by little faces and the chanted chorus of ‘Daddy! Daddy!’…but the sharp and sudden pain he felt as the thought of the pregnancy they had lost flitted back into his mind, chased by a faint, echoing ‘Daddy!’. Swallowing hard, he forced a smile realizing everybody was beginning to move, leaving the fort. Katie gently woke Stella woke with soft words and tickles, allowing them to get up and head for the stairs to help with Christmas decorating.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon had passed in a lazy manner as the whole house helped with trimming the big tree in the living room, the guys eventually being sent out to hang the easiest of the lights around the front door before the storm blew in and rain started trying to freeze into slushy snow while Katie put a movie on to watch with the kids as Lisa, Carly and Shanna took a nap in preparation of going Black Friday shopping.

Everyone appeared with a plate throughout the rest of the evening, picking at the leftovers from the big meal earlier in the day as Christmas movies played on the television screen-Buddy the Elf venturing to find his real dad in New York, the animated Grinch trying his very best to thwart Christmas in Whoville, the Griswolds making the best of their Christmas…until people started dropping like flies and heading to bed.

* * *

I had gone up before Chris, stopping off in the bathroom to wash my face, brush my teeth, and take care of business in my own time before making my way back to our room; I sat Indian style in the middle of the bed, rubbing lotion into the skin of my hands, scrolling through social media when he walked in with Dodger, who immediately jumped up onto the bed and claimed his spot at my feet.

“You look pooped.” I pointed out, watching Chris as he closed the door, close to midnight. Offering him a small smile as he turned around and crossed to the bed, crawling in next to me and pulling me back to lay with him. “What’s the matter?”

“I want to hold you…does something have to be wrong for me to want to do that, babe?” Chris chortled, his voice tired and tinged with a touch of sadness.

I turned to my left side, snuggling into his chest, lightly rubbing my nose to his, my hands grasping the cotton of his Pats shirt; he draped his arm over me, his finger immediately zoning in on my hair, massaging gently along the base of my skull while his foot skimmed over the inside of my ankle, over the wool socks I wore.

“Because I can read you like a book, Chris…and your eyes are giving you away…what’s got you sad, baby?” I breathed, letting go of the collar of his shirt, my hand skimming down his body to burrow under his shirt, my hand flattening over his heart. He had snuck a cigarette before coming up, the smoke lingering on his shirt and in his beard…he had told me he was going to be better about tapering off and working on quitting eventually, but with everything that I had dumped on him in the last week, I let it slide, not giving him hell about it throughout the last few days, since I grew up with enough people that shared his habit and knew it was a coping mechanism and offered security when he got stressed out…

Sighing heavily, Chris tightened his arm; pressing his forehead against mine, he spoke so softly, I wasn’t sure he’d actually said anything.

“I was thinking about the baby…I looked over and saw you holding Stella, asleep and clinging to you…and all I saw was you holding our little girl, Kay…I wanted to cry, it was so real!”

Nodding, I fought a grimace as I held off my emotions, whispering, “Do you want to talk? Or just lay here?”

Shaking his head ‘no’, Chris answered quietly, telling me, “I just want to hold you, babe…it’s the only thing that’s going to help me relax enough to get to sleep eventually…”

“Okay-” I breathed against his lips, brushing mine to his for a barely there kiss. “-I love you…just remember, this isn’t the end of the world and it won’t last forever. We’re going to start trying, and we’re going to have a baby in our arms soon enough because we’re both hardheaded and stubborn and won’t give up until we do!”

Chris tilted his face just enough to kiss the tip of my nose before nuzzling his face into mine.

“Get some sleep, Baby…I’m gonna be awake for a while.” Chris told me, rolling to his back, taking me with him as he got comfortable, telling me without words to do the same. I snuggled into his side, my cheek resting on his chest, and both my legs wrapping around his right as I held him tight, willing the broken pieces of his heart back together.

Lying tangled up together, the room was silent, the only sounds that could be heard were our soft inhales and exhales along with Dodgers soft snores from the end of the bed…until I broke the silence.

“I love you.” I whispered, my fingers barely moving against his chest. His arm tightened around my shoulders as his lips pressed to my forehead.

“I love you too, Katie…”

It didn’t take long for me to lose my battle against falling asleep with his thumb caressing my arm and the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest under my cheek.





End file.
